Painful Rain
by pinkpoland
Summary: When Gabriel finds himself in the midst of a terrible apocalypse, he crosses paths with a young orphan boy named Jesse. He takes Jesse into his care, promising to help find his lost best friend. Loosely based on the TellTale game, The Walking Dead Season One.
1. Chapter 1

A guilty man is given sentences he is expected to accept with open arms. He deserved it, as everyone spat at him. The actions that were made were to the worst extent of what a human could do. Taking another's life... it was despicable. How could anyone live knowing someone had to cease living at their own hand. What could be the reasons behind such actions? Was it out of self defense? Maddened thoughts? Revenge? So many reasons could be pinned onto the act. However, no matter what, it would still be justified as a terrible outcome.

Gabriel Reyes sat in the back of the cramped police vehicle, absentmindedly staring at the world passing him by. Cold metal locked his hands together, matching with the dull grey bars that separated him from the officer driving the police car. Faintly, he could hear the speaker buzz in and out of the radio at the front of the car, speaking in some police code he couldn't understand. It's not like he wanted to. He felt no energy to invest his attention to the world going on around him except for the crashing world in his mind.

"So, I take it you're a guilty one, huh?" The officer up front inquired suddenly, looking at the rear view mirror to lock eyes with the gloomy criminal.

Silence is what Gabriel answered with, merely granting the man a stare. It wasn't of malice or despise, it was simply blank.

The man at the wheel let out a soft laugh, "Y'know, by this point, I would've had other convicts scream and cry at me, pouring out their hearts as if my word had anything against the judge." The car skirted a bit as he turned a corner, making his way down the highway. Buildings disappeared as tall trees towered down at all sides now. "'I didn't do it!' They would bawl at me. 'I'm innocent! Don't take me there! I'm telling the truth- I'm innocent!' They yelled all sorts of bullshit."

"And were they innocent?" The Latino in the back questioned, his voice soft. The driver scoffed.

"Hell no. They were all cowards. They wouldn't man up to their actions and thought they could just be let free like some kindergartner in time out. You can tell a lot about a man on how he acts when being driven to prison."

The driver glanced back at Gabriel.

"By the looks of it, you plead guilty."

Gabriel averted his gaze to the side windows, a wave of unease prodding his stomach. For a moment, the past silence that had captured the car had returned.

The man wasn't wrong. Guilt plagued Gabriel from the moment the crime was committed. Even in the mere moment it happened, he wished he could take it back. It was in the haze of a storm of emotions— he couldn't see clear to the logic. Before he knew it, it had been done.

Sighing, Gabriel pushed the memory of the murder he committed away, knowing that pondering more upon it would just pain him further. Even though he knew he deserved the feel all the pain and guilt from that...

"I met a guy like you once." The driver continued, obviously well acquainted to work well under an awkward silence. "Yeah, he killed a man out of anger. However, he thought after killing that man he wasn't wrong whatsoever. He thought he deserved a fucking Nobel prize and be thanked."

Gabriel sighed, slowly tuning out the man before him. He didn't need this meaningless talk. None of this was going to matter soon. Soon, he would be getting ear fills of such constantly behind the bars he will live behind for years to come. Stories of his fellow inmates on what they've done and how they acted on it. Hearing random dickheads try and out-macho themselves with their lists of insensitive and cruel acts. Pathetic.

Turning his gaze away from the side windows, Gabriel focused up onto the road ahead. Would this be his life now? Walking through life in a daze with constant regret and yearning for the past when all was well? Will this officer's meaningless stories be the only conversation he ever gets from anyone? He hung his head, eyes blankly staring at his tattered shoes. Small specks of a dark red still painted the tips of his shoes to his despise.

Lifting his head back up, Gabriel now stared forward at the road ahead again. The officer had turned on his radio so now the air around them was filled in static and muffled reports. It wasn't like he could understand any of them anyways. They were just white noise to fill the painful silence that would set if it was gone.

Squinting, Gabriel caught sight of something in the road the officer had yet to see due to him continuing to yap away about what other pointless story filtered in his mind. Something or... someone was in the middle of the road. They were hunched as if the sun beating on their back was too heavy for them. They dragged their feet as they walked across the road, not even paying to mind that a car was coming directly at them.

"Hey," Gabriel exclaimed, "Look out-!"

It was too late. The officer slammed forward into the steering wheel as the car collided with the human. Losing control of everything, the car spun out of control and began to topple down the hill and into the countless trees from the woods that decorated the side of the road. Gabriel grunted and winced as he felt himself hit the sides of the car as the vehicle continued to fall dangerously through the trees. With a sudden thud, he felt his head hit the side window and everything suddenly went black...

...

"Get away! Get the fuck away from me!"

A muffled voice is what stirred Gabriel back to consciousness. Furrowing his brows, he felt a huge twinge on the side of his head. Faintly, he thought he could feel something warm trickle down his face, tickling his cheek. The voice yelled once again, followed by shuffling feet. What the hell was going on? What... happened?

With difficulty, Gabriel pushed himself up into a sitting position. His vision blurred, causing everything around him to dance before him. The car was upside down and he was... leaning against the roof. The windows of the car were shattered and the interior was in shambles. Drowsily, his eyes shifted downwards onto something that glinted in the corner of his eyes. It was the keys to his handcuffs. Oh, thank God.

Reaching down, he grabbed the precious metal and released himself of the uncomfortable chains that bound his hands too close together.

With his intense tunnel vision, Gabriel turned his attention to the driver's seat. The talkative officer was no where to be seen... The driver side's door looked like it had been snapped off the car itself. The side door laid broken beside the driver's side door. Shattered glass from the windows littered the floor as if little knives were excitedly waiting to claw at someone's exposed flesh. This was one crash...? Truthfully, Gabriel was surprised to see that he was even alive.

Bang.

A sudden crack of a shotgun snapped through the air, startling Gabriel. He instinctively jumped away from where the sound came from, suddenly feeling a shooting pain in his leg, causing a breathy wince to escape his mouth.

"What..." He glanced down, grimacing at the sight. There was a deep gash just above his knee surrounded by a patch of dark red that soaked his jeans. Fuck. His leg was injured from the crash.

Cautiously, Gabriel peeked out of part of a window that wasn't shattered and blown with dirt to see what was going exactly outside. Was this an ambush? Why was there a shot? Who was screaming? Squinting his eyes, he caught sight of... the officer! However, he was with another person, or what looked like a person.

"Get off! Get off!" The officer screamed as the 'other person' started tackling him to the floor. Gabriel watched curiously, eyes slowly widening at what just unfolded.

The stranger pushed the officer down and immediately leaned down and tore a huge chunk of flesh from the man's neck. Blood sprayed the stranger in the face as they continued to horridly feast on the poor officer. The officer screamed and cried, thrashing around the forest floor like a fish out of water before he went limp. Gabriel's mouth opened slightly in shock as he forced himself to move away from the window.

Fuck, fuck fuck. He had to get out. He had to get away from here.

What the fuck was that?! Did that man really attack and eat that annoying police officer?! What the hell is going on?

With urgency and difficulty, Gabriel crawled out of the car through the broken door. Once out, he forced himself up on his feet, immediately grimacing at the strong pain in his leg. Fuck.

Looking around, Gabriel quickly, as much as he could, started limping away from the scene. He couldn't be here. Hell, who knows what other sentence would be plastered onto his name if the authority found him here. They would probably blame him for the crash. Even so, that wouldn't really matter in his case considering the blood thirsty maniac back there would be questioned first.

As he hobbled, Gabriel felt his breathing grow a bit ragged due to shock and increase of adrenaline. Nothing was making sense. This didn't make sense. Hell, he was supposed to be in a jail cell by now by his lonesome, not running from his life with a battered leg.

There was a growl that came from the trees, soon followed by a ragged snarl. The single growl was accompanied by several more seemingly to come on all sides. Gabriel's eyes widen in terror as he tried to run faster, doing his best to ignore the excruciating pain in his leg. Suddenly, he caught a pair of clouded eyes behind him. The person bearing those eyes was slouched over as they slowly made their way towards the convict. Getting a better look, Gabriel noticed a bloody gash on the person's cheek, seeing strips of flesh hang down his neck. Their skin was pale and practically rotten, yet they functioned and moved as if nothing was wrong. All the while, they snarled at Gabriel, reaching their filthy hands toward him.

What the actual fuck was going on?

Gabriel felt his heart race when he felt his own speed start to decrease, the gap between him and the monster slowly grow shorter. Vivid images of the officer back there being torn to shreds. Seeing his blood splash upon the monster's face as it tore into him like some steak. Watching the man's body thrash and squirm till he twitched as the life drained from his body. Dear God, the thought of that happening to him... it made him sick.

Suddenly there were four gunshots ways away that was soon accompanied by bloodcurdling screams. The monsters that were tailing Gabriel halted, soon turning towards the sound and making their way towards that direction. Gabriel stopped, keeping still as to not draw attention back to him. Holding his breath, he watched them slowly file through the trees away from sight.

Once gone, Gabriel leaned back against one of the trees, catching his breath. Suddenly, Gabriel felt the hairs on his neck stand on end when he heard the shuffle of feet behind him. Snapping his attention to where the sound came from, he saw a small figure in the distance. Oh shit... is it another maniac? No, no this was different. It was... a child!

"Hey! Hey, can you help me?! Please!" Gabriel whispered loudly, beginning to make his way towards where the child was standing. The child turned around and ran off, not even giving back any answer of assurance or agreement. Gabriel sighed, pushing himself off the tree and beginning to stagger towards where the child went.

Maybe they went to get help. Or maybe they saw him as a stranger and immediately called for danger. He wouldn't blame them. Whatever the case was, maybe wherever they went there would be someone who would be able to help.

Moving past where the trees the child ran off to, Gabriel found himself at the backyard of what appeared to be an orphanage. This was that children's orphanage set up on the outskirts of town. He knew of this place quite clearly from the constant incoming of students in his classes who were from here or knew someone who was. It was the only orphanage in a fifteen mile radius so there was a good handful of children who lived there.

The orphanage was quite charming. The yard was filled with children's toys and had a treehouse for the kids to climb up in. Limping, Gabriel made his way towards the back entrance of the orphanage. Good. Somewhere to hang low or at least rest and maybe get his leg checked up on. Orphanages should have a nurse, right? At the very least, they should have a first aid kit. It would be quite stupid for it not to considering how many silly injuries children get. Besides, his court case was just this morning so, hopefully, no one would know who he was.

Gabriel reached for the handle, turning it to open it. Locked. Dammit.

"You should be careful."

Startled, Gabriel turns around quickly, eyes darting everywhere for the source of the voice. It was muffled and almost as if it were coming from a speaker, which only perplexed him even further. There was a sudden sound of static, leading Gabriel to find a small handheld walkie-talkie a few feet away from the back door of the orphanage. Going over, Gabriel picked up the radio.

"Who is this?" He inquired, furrowing his brows as he continued to search for the person on the other line. There was a brief moment of silence before his question was answered.

"My name's Jesse." Gabriel's eyes widened when he realized the bearer of the voice on the other line was a child. A little boy.

Softening his tone and demeanor, Gabriel shifted where he stood. His voice went gentle as he tried to figure out where the little boy might be hiding. "It's nice to meet you, Jesse. I'm Gabriel."

There was a slight rustle of leaves in a tree in the back yard, A little gasp soon followed after which Gabriel then pinpointed that to be where Jesse was hiding. Though, he didn't directly address him just yet.

"Are you safe?" Gabriel further asked, truly concerned on whether the boy was safe or not. The leaves shielding him did not assure him. "How old are you?"

The radio buzzed before Jesse responded in a hushed whisper. "Yes, I'm safe. I'm in the tree... The treehouse isn't safe though. The floor is kind of broken. That's why I'm up here." A small hand peaked beyond the leaves, waving in a friendly manner. Gabriel waved back with a small smile as Jesse continued, "I'm 8 years old and in second grade."

Gabriel could sense a hint of fear in Jesse's voice as he spoke, but there was an obvious force of trying to sound calm that threw him off. Was the boy really okay? Maybe he knew what was going on? Did a violent monster try attacking him as well? Why was he alone? So many questioned buzzed and prodded at his mind, causing the man to grow silent for a bit.

"Is it..." Jesse's small voice broke through Gabriel's thoughts suddenly, "safe to come down?"

Gabriel looked around the back yard, seeing no sign of danger anywhere. He raised the radio to his lips before reporting up to Jesse, "Yes, it's safe. You can come down."

Almost instantly, the branches began to rustle together, sending a handful of leaves to float down to the ground. Two little boots came into view, finding a hold of a stump of a branch to stand on. Slowly, a young boy hopped down from the trees, crouching once he reached the floor.

Jesse lifted his head up when he regained footing and balance, eyes locking with Gabriel's. Soft chestnut hair flipped along the sides of his head- one side being folded behind the ear. Gentle blue eyes gleamed behind a veil of childish curiosity and a hint of feeling lost. The boy wore tattered jean shorts and a graphic tee depicting some nameless super hero giving a thumbs up. Gabriel noticed that the young boy wore a silly cowboy hat atop of his head, some writing scribbled on the side.

"Hey." Gabriel greeted simply, giving the boy a small smile.

Jesse stared back, awkwardly rubbing the side of his arm. "Hello." Jesse trailed his eyes up and down Gabriel as if getting a good look at the new adult that just crossed paths with him. Obviously, he had no knowledge of awareness on the whole 'Stranger Danger' protocol. He caught sight of the gash on Gabriel's leg, eyes widening in shock. "You're... hurt!"

Gabriel glanced down, almost forgetting the stabbing pain in his leg. He let out a light laugh, shifting his weight on his uninjured leg. "Yeah, but don't worry about it, alright?" With difficulty he tried to suppress, Gabriel knelt down before Jesse with a look of concern. "Why are you here out by yourself? Where are your caretakers?"

A look of discomfort and confusion painted over the boy's face as he began to recall all he knew. "There was this man who came into the backyard and tried to hurt us. Mr. Tekhartha told us to go inside but... my friend, Hanzo, and I were hiding up here in the trees!" He bit his lip as if an unpleasing memory began to roll out. "There was a woman with the man and she started attacking Mr. Tekhartha inside. She... She was biting him. She was hurting him real bad... Hanzo and I stayed in the trees but Hanzo decided to go down and try to help... He told me to wait here for him till he came back but... he hasn't come back yet. I-I don't remember exactly what happened but I heard a lot of people yelling and car horns." Jesse tightened his grip on his walkie talkie in his hand, sadness turning the corners of his lips down. "I've been up in the tree ever since. It's been a day, I think. I don't remember."

Gabriel stared at the boy, a wave of disbelief flooding through him. This kid... has been in this tree, alone, for a day? And the horrors he described were similar to what happened with the man back in the woods with the police officer. A woman was biting a caretaker. This still didn't make sense. Something wrong was going on around here, or maybe it was everywhere. People going around eating people like animals? This was... inhuman.

Thinking things over to find what was best, Gabriel tilted his head ever so slightly to catch Jesse's averted gaze. "You're going to be okay now, alright? I'll take care of you-"

"I need to find my friend." Jesse interjected eyes glistening ever so slightly with tears. "My friend, Hanzo. He never came back. I need to stay here till he comes back or-or go look for him."

The boy gripped his arm a little more tightly now, his hand holding the radio trembling in the slightest. Truthfully, Gabriel never met an orphan, nonetheless someone who had no family. Though, it didn't take much of anyone to find the implications that this Hanzo boy meant a great deal to Jesse. He probably was the closest friend or person in his life.

"I'll help you find your friend, okay?" Gabriel pressed, knowing there was no way he was going to just let an 8 year old boy go off on his own knowing what horrors lurked around every corner. That was basically an indirect murder and there was no way he was going to do anything related to murder in the very least ever again if he could help it.

Jesse looked at Gabriel, torn between going with the man or go off on his own. He wondered if he took too much time staying silent and thinking since Gabriel decided to stand up once again, holding out a hand.

"Come on," He said nicely, "We'll stay together and I'll help you find your friend. It's not safe out there for you to be alone."

What the hell was he doing? Gabriel never once took care of a child before, nonetheless one in the midst of what seemed like the apocalypse. He was just on his way to prison to serve a life sentence for murder. How was it that in one day, he went from being a convict to a caretaker. He didn't know where this kid's friend was. He didn't know what exactly was going on. He didn't know a single damn thing. Yet, he knew he had to watch over this boy. He couldn't just leave him here in this desolate orphanage.

Jesse stared at Gabriel's hand hesitantly, silently debating whether he should or not. After a moment, he reached up and took the older man's hand with a small smile.

"Okay."

Gabriel smiled at Jesse, feeling a sense of responsibility drape over his shoulders. He was responsible for this boy, now, and he knew he would do whatever it takes to keep him safe.


	2. Meeting the Living

The sun was slowly beginning to melt down behind the treetops and house roofs that were around the abandoned orphanage. Gabriel and Jesse remained in the backyard of the orphanage until sunset since the poor boy was desperate to stay just one more night before they left- just in case his friend returned. Personally, Gabriel thought of the chances to be highly unlikely since his friend was simply an 8 or 9 year old boy and with the horrors they both witnessed today... it seemed like a hopeless case. However, he didn't voice his doubts towards Jesse. He was anxious enough, he didn't want to break his spirits even more than they already have. Besides, who knew? Maybe there was some miraculous way he was still alive and out there to be found.

As the sky began to drain from the warm colors of magenta and gold, soon merging into a deep navy blue, Gabriel knew they had to go find shelter to spend the night in.

"Let's go stay inside the orphanage, okay?" Gabriel said, the faint light of the moon sending chills down his spine. "It's safer to be indoors with walls around us than out here. Who knows if we'll run into those things if we sleep out here."

Perplexing the older man, Jesse shook his head quickly with a worrisome gaze on his face. "No, we can't go in there... There was a monster in there. Mr. Tekhartha told us to go outside while he stayed inside to get rid of it. He hasn't come out yet... It might still be in there!"

That was true... if Jesse mentioned that the monsters had already gotten inside there, then it was possible they were still inside there. Especially since the supposed caretaker hadn't left the inside yet, there was a chance that he could've been killed by it... just like the police officer. Gabriel shuddered at the thought, the memory of that gruesome attack still plaguing his mind vividly. The fact that they knew very little about what was going on and exactly how to keep them safe from those monsters held them at a very high disadvantage. The only thing Gabriel knew for sure is that they eat people and apparently can be drawn away by loud noises (as evident when he was running away and those man eating creatures stopped following him and started following the gun shots.)

Just as he was remembering that moment, there was loud scream followed by a gun shot and a low animalistic growls. Gabriel and Jesse both perked up defensively as they noticed the sound was coming from the street before the front of the orphanage.

"What's that?!" Jesse whispered with wide eyes, instinctively moving his small body behind Gabriel as if he were a protective shield. Gabriel put a hand on the boy's shoulder in a reassuring matter as he squinted around the side to see if he can see what the hell was going on. From the bars of the side gate, three figures could be seen: a man and a woman holding a small child. They appeared to be in distress as the woman was cautiously backing away from something that was covered up by the rest of the orphanage building.

"Come on, Jesse. Let's see if they need our help." Gabriel said, reaching to take Jesse's hand before making their way swiftly to the gate. Jesse followed without hesitation, desiring to help the people as well. In the back of his mind, Gabriel was surprised and admired the young boy's good heart and bravery, knowing that most kids may shy away from something this unpredictable and, in this circumstance, frightening.

As they reached the gate, the people outside and the situtation going on was soon clearly revealed. There was a blond man around Gabriel's age trying to fend off one of those monsters that were trying to bite at him. It had its decomposing arm out stretched as the man was feverishly trying to push it away. To his right was a woman just a tad younger looking with short golden hair just barely brushing against her exposed shoulders. In her arms was a small boy (looking to be around Jesse's age) with spiky dirty blonde hair tightly wrapping his arms around his mother's neck. The two of them were corned behind a car as two monsters tried to get them, but fell short of reach.

"Wait right here, Jesse." Gabriel ordered softly, kneeling down before the boy. Jesse nodded in response before Gabriel closed the gate behind him and ran towards the man who was obviously losing energy from keeping the monster away from hurting him.

Coming up behind the monster, Gabriel grabbed it by its torso and flung it off the man with as much strength as he could muster. It took every fiber in his body to keep himself from puking as he felt his fingertips easily impale through the rotting flesh. The monster stumbled back clumsily before turning its attention towards Gabriel. Gabriel stared wide eyed at it in horror. The eyes were clouded and faded in any color it had before. Its mouth was agape, showing its rotting gums and blood that dripped down its lips. Every inch of flesh that could be seen was a faded moldy green color with frequent open gashes that exposed its decomposing insides. The sight was so gruesome it caused Gabriel to stand frozen in shock.

"Move back!" The man behind him commanded quickly. Gabriel snapped back to the present and moved back just as he was told, taken aback from the other's scruffy and rather intimidating voice as it was raised. He watched the blond pull out a pistol before shooting the monster point blank in the head. Immediately, it ceased to move and simply laid there as a murky brown and red oozed from its open skull. Gabriel stared wide eyed, simply at shock with the quick action.

Without any hesitation, the stranger quickly ran up to the two monsters trying to pry at the woman and child and took out a pocket knife from his back pocket. Never slowing his movements despite how intense his actions were, he shoved the blade into the back of their heads. Just as fast as the other one, they dropped limp to the floor, ceasing to move. Once down, the streets were once again quiet and peaceful as if they were never here to terrorize.

"Angela! Are you and Jamison okay?" The stranger quickly ran towards the cornered woman behind the car, helping her over to his side. She quickly buried her face into his neck as he wrapped his arms around her and the boy in her arms.

"Oh God, that was terrifying." She breathed with relief and excess fear as she relaxed in his embrace.

Gabriel turned away from them and lightly sprinted back to Jesse. He found the boy standing by the gate where he left him. Jesse stared at the three bodies on the floor unblinkingly. It looked as if he had seen a ghost, which wouldn't be false considering these were people coming back from what seemed like the dead. Gabriel knelt down before Jesse, putting his hands on the boy's shoulders.

"Are you okay, Jesse?" He questioned sincerely, noticing how the boy's expression didn't change.

Jesse bit his lip before finally pulling his gaze off the dead bodies. He nodded silently, but Gabriel could tell there was something poking at his mind. He opened his mouth to reiterate the question but was cut off.

"Hey." The scruffy voiced man diverted his attention from the bodies and up to him. He stood behind Gabriel and Jesse, looking down at them with an appreciative gaze. On his right was his apparent wife, holding his arm protectively. Their boy was in his arms now, seemingly not wanting to let go of him any time soon. "Thanks for... helping me out back there. I don't think I would've made it without your help."

Standing back up and keeping a hand on Jesse's shoulder, Gabriel turned to face the man. "You don't need to thank me. It's not like I could just sit by and watch."

The man chuckled at the other's humbleness he received in exchange of his words of thanks. With a welcoming nod, he began to introduce himself. "My name's Jack. Jack Morrison." He gave a little tilt of the head towards the woman beside him, "This is my wife, Angela." An opposite tilt towards the boy. "And this is our son, Jamison." The boy lifted his head from resting on his father's shoulder to look at Gabriel then Jesse. A bright smile suddenly stretched across his face when he saw Jesse.

"Hello!" He piped up, his anxious demeanor from before suddenly washing away. Jesse stared up back at him but didn't mirror the other's smile. He simply raised a hand and emitted a soft "hello" in return.

Gabriel cracked a small smile at Jamison's cheery attitude, finding it a tad heartwarming. "It's nice to meet you all. My name's Gabriel..." He was about to mention his last name as well but bit his tongue before he did. No, he couldn't tell them his last name. If they were locals and paid attention to the news, they connect things and figure out he was a criminal. There was no way he was going to get dragged into the police station again. Smoothly, he finished his sentence with a gentle pat on Jesse's shoulder, "...and this is Jesse."

Jack looked down at Jesse, giving him a warm grin. "Hey there." He turned back to Gabriel. "Got a son too, huh? Us dads got to stick together through this."

The question took Gabriel off guard, causing him to hesitate on answering. Well, shit. What exactly was he to Jesse? It wasn't as if he could just say he was a stranger who found a little boy after getting in a car crash while being escorted to prison and is now taking the boy wherever he goes. That wasn't exactly a good explanation nor a good first impression.

"Ah, no. I'm not his father." Gabriel responded with a clearing of his throat. He looked down at Jesse then back at Jack. "I'm his... care taker. He was an orphan here at this orphanage and I took care of him."

So, technically, that wasn't a complete lie. The reason for Jesse being with him is to take care of him until he finds his friend. Taking care of Jesse was his main objective. Taking care... Care taker... There's not much of a difference between them, right? If there was any, it wasn't big enough to make feel Gabriel feel guilty for lying. Jesse looked up at Gabriel at the answer he gave, quirking a small brow. It wasn't a look that showed he disagreed with the light lie told, but more of a curious one. Luckily, Jack bought the story.

"That's really nice you're sticking with him through this. I can't even explain how many selfish people have left their jobs and obligation to care for people to save their own skin." Angela mentioned with a slightly bitter tone. "I work at a hospital only an hour away... When the outbreak began, there were so many doctors who left bed ridden patients alone and defenseless for the walkers. I couldn't believe it. I tried to help them as much as I could but it was just me. The walkers took over. I barely made it out of there... Jack and I took everything we could stock up into our truck as we left the city... but we got trapped over here when we made a stop to try and gather some gas so we could travel far away from here."

Gabriel listened to Angela explain their situation and briefly describe what happened before. As she spoke, Gabriel couldn't help but stumble upon some terms she used that were incredibly foreign to him. Walkers? Outbreak? Stock up? None of those- especially Walkers- connected to anything in his mind. Were there more things at hand then he had knowledge of? He glanced down at Jesse, seeing the boy was just as confused as he was, but maybe even more so. However, his eyes frequently shifted from Angela to the bodies.

"I'm sorry to pose as an idiot here," Gabriel spoke up whilst rubbing the back of his neck, "but, what do you mean by walkers? What the hell is going on?"

Jack and Angela simply stared back at him then exchanged uneasy looks to each other. The atmosphere between them all was eerie- like how atmosphere in the room when a mother has to explain to her child how the family dog passed away. It pricked at Gabriel's nerves the longer the silence was drawn out. Relieving his tension, Jack responded.

"Walkers are... the dead people who've come back alive." Jack explained. Gabriel stiffened at the explanation, the color in his face draining slightly. Jack continued, "There's been an outbreak all over the country. People are being killed and have come back as those- those things. They kill and eat people with no remorse. They're like- like animals. They just kill... that's all. We call them walkers, but I know some folk we met who called them lurkers. They have multiple names. " He took a breath as his eyes wandered off to the outline of the trees. He simply stared at the tree line for awhile, pondering on a downing thought. The same look passed through Angela's facade, her eyes clouding over with a thin layer of tears. Clearing his throat to bring himself back to the present, Jack continued, "We don't know how much this is affecting in regards on a global scale. On the radio, they said the military will be coming to the areas where the walkers took over but... its not looking good. The town we just had had trooper marching down and taking them out but at this rate... I don't think it will do anything at how fast things are turning. It looks like the world is ending, Gabriel."

Angela reached over and took Jamison from Jack with a stern look on her face, blinking away her threatening tears. "Don't talk so negatively like that, Jack. Especially around Jamie. We don't know if its 'the end of the world'. It's only just started. If the military has already taken control, we just have to wait for them to take care of it. They will stop whatever this is. It's probably just an epidemic that can be cured with a vaccination."

It was obvious how different their mindsets and perspectives were. Jack perceived the current situation in a pessimistic yet realistic way, putting his harsh common sense in his belief in a future where all of this is mended. Angela, on the other hand, tried seeing it in an optimistic light with a strong sense of hope. Both mindsets clashed together and, truthfully, Gabriel couldn't decide who he related to. It was still early to pass judgement and it was obvious he was more ignorant to the current conditions than Jack and Angela. However, from what they explained and from the limited things he experienced, he would have to lean more towards Jack's perspective.

"Whatever the case is," Jack interjected Gabriel's thoughts as he continued to discuss with Angela, "we should find a place to stay- somewhere safe and away from high populated areas. It's better to put distance between us and anyone who could potentially be walkers. At least until... the government clears them out." He spoke the last bit with a lack of confidence.

The man turned towards Gabriel with a kind smile, "There's a diner not too far from here that I've gone to loads of times for work meetings. It's fairly old and but it's secluded enough for us to hang out there for the time being. I know the owner and I know he'd be more than happy to let us stay." Jack gave a short nod towards Jesse. "You and Jesse can come with us, if you want. There's a small yard out the back way Jamison always plays in when we visit as a family."

Gabriel thought about the invitation for a bit, letting his head tilt to the side. If it was just him alone having to go through this, he would've declined and went on his own to go back to his parents house to make sure they were okay. He would've gone back to his own house but, considering the circumstances with his now ex lover, he doubt he would be let in with open arms. None of that mattered now though because now he had to care for the young boy standing at his side. He was responsible for Jesse now and going with Jack seemed to be the safest decision at the moment.

"Thank you, for letting us come with you three." Gabriel said sincerely, exchanging the smile given to him, "I didn't know where we would go from here."

Jamison, who had remained fairly silent throughout all of this, let out a cheery laugh, "More people! Dad, can they sit with me on the trunk bed?!"

Jack chuckled, ruffling Jamison's already messy hair. "Of course. I'm sure it's more roomy than the cramped space inside." The boy let out a hearty laugh at that, causing Jack to mimic his joy. "Come to the truck when you guys are ready, Gabriel. I don't know if you and Jesse have any belongings you need to bring with you." With that, the family made their way towards a rather old looking brown truck. Jack started siphoning surrounding cars for gas as Angela lifted Jamison into the truck bed.

This appeared like a nice set up to Gabriel. He knew it was most likely safer to travel with a group rather than by oneself. Jack seemed to be like a well put man, along with Angela. Sure, their perspectives and hope for what is to come with this whole epidemic is quite clashing but that could help in certain situations. The diner Jack spoke about seemed quite cozy, but... it felt strangely familiar to Gabriel. He was hoping it wasn't what he was expecting it would be.

Kneeling down, Gabriel went to face Jesse. He noticed the boy was still staring at the dead walker on the road. There was a slight frown on his face as he stared, not even turning to Gabriel as he was faced. Did the sight of those walkers truly frighten him? Maybe this was the first time the boy was seeing them up close... Whatever it was, it was obviously bothering the young boy. "Jesse, are you okay?"

Jesse bit his bottom lip, shifting where stood. With a soft voice, he responded, "That's Mr. Tekhartha..."

Gabriel's eyes widened as he, too, turned to look at the dead walker. Looking more closely, he noticed the shirt the walker of Mr. Tekhartha wore. It was a now blood stained buttoned up with a stitched in name patch and with the words "Caretaker: Zen Tekhartha" embroidered in it. The walker was bald and, judging by how its body was, very badly beaten and tore up. Just like the police officer back in the woods.

"Jesse, I'm really sorry...-"

"Why did that man shoot him?" Jesse questioned, his eyes gleaming in the slightest with tears. "He was really nice. He'd never do nothing bad... He ain't a bad guy."

Gabriel let out a soft sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. Jesse's innocence pained him. It was obvious that he still didn't quite understand what exactly was happening, or exactly how different the walkers were from living people. "Jesse," he said as gently as he could put it, "that... wasn't Mr. Tekhartha. Mr. Tekhartha is dead... but that wasn't him. He's in a better place now, okay? Jack didn't kill him... he killed something that looked like him."

Jesse stared at Gabriel as the man explained, giving little nods as he spoke. The information was still confusing to him but the simple reassuring statement that that wasn't really him lightened the grief on the little boy's shoulders. Jesse raised his hand to wipe the stray tears that threatened to fall out of his eyes and did a quick sniff. Gabriel looked over at Jack, noticing that the family was all set to go. He turned back to Jesse, "We're going to go with Jack and his family, okay? They know of a nice place we can stay in until all of this rolls over."

At this, Jesse's frown returned. He reached into his pocket and held his walkie talkie tightly in his hands, pressing it against his chest almost protectively. "But what about my friend? We can't leave. If- If Hanzo comes back, I won't be here."

The boy straightened his stature to back up his point and desire to stay, but didn't entirely do so in a defying way. Gabriel could tell there was part of him that wanted to leave but couldn't bring himself to simply upon the possible chance his friend would return. Personally, he knew if his friend had gone out here, alone, he most likely didn't make it. Hell, he barely did back at the forest and he was a grown man. There had to be some way he could fully persuade him to be willing to leave. This place was no longer safe, which was evident with what happened to Mr. Tekhartha.

"I have an idea." Gabriel said after a moment, a thought coming to mind. He pulled out the walkie talkie he found back in the backyard out of his back pocket. "How about, I leave this walkie talkie here. If Hanzo comes back, he'll know to use it to talk to you. That way you will know if he came back here and if he does, we can come back here to get him, or he you can tell him where we are. Does that sound okay?"

It was a convincing plan and seemed simple enough. Besides, Gabriel couldn't think of any use he could possibly have with the walkie talkie. Jesse was going to be with him so there was no need for him to keep long distance talks with the boy. Luckily, Jesse, too, found this rather convincing and replied with a small smile.

"Okay... that sounds like a good idea. Hanzo will be lookin' for it and I know he'll use it to talk to me." Jesse said, mostly to just reassure himself that that would happen and he didn't have to worry about leaving this place. Gabriel caught that as well and played along.

"Right, and if- when he calls you up on it, then you can tell him where we are and we can come back down here to get him."

Jesse's body loosened up a bit, his reluctance from leaving now disappearing. This relieved Gabriel since a part of him was wondering what exactly he would do if Jesse really was set and stone from not leaving this place. But, he didn't ponder upon that further since it was now irrelevant. Now, he had to worry about how this supposed diner was and who these owners were.

"Come on, let's get into the truck. It's not safe staying out here for too long, as you have now seen." Gabriel stated, holding out his hand. Jesse looked at his hand for a moment before taking it, casting one last look at his old home before following the man towards the car. There was a slight twinge in his heart, yet he continued to walk. Deep down, he knew this was the best thing to do.

...

The drive was longer than Jack mentioned. The reason for it was they had to take another route since the previous road was blocked off by a barricade of cars. There were muffled shouts and growls from beyond the barricade but they didn't halt in their travels. Instead, they turned around and took the alternate path that distanced them from the chaos. It put a light blanket of guilt upon them all but it not enough to initiate an argument./

Gabriel, Jesse, Angela, and Jamison sat on the truck bed while Jack drove up front. There were two blankets laid out on the truck bed, one that the four of them sat down on and another they could wrap up with if needed. The sun had completely sunken down behind the trees and frequent houses. They were leaving the suburb areas and now entering the countryside of Georgia, which was a foreign area for Gabriel. He never really ventured past the city. The university he worked at was in the heart of the city and kept him busy all day. There were rarely any free time he was able to use for himself. Then again, he never really had the heart for adventure nor was he curious on what laid beyond the borders of the cities. His life- or what it was supposed to be- was set to stay in the city. However, that wasn't relevant anymore.

Lying against the back of the truck, pulling his legs closer to himself to leave more room in the back, Gabriel rested his arm on the edge of the truck bed. Jesse sat right beside him, leaning against his arm ever so slightly.

"Maybe Hanzo will be where we're going." The little boy said softly, fiddling with the walkie talkie in his hand. He poked at the speaker on it and tapped the small antenna atop of it. Gabriel looked over at him, eyes going from the object at hand to the boy's face.

Damn. Mentally, he tried to put together what exactly to say to comfort to kid. He was the youngest in his family so he never had to learn how to take care of a younger sibling. He was the younger sibling. What also didn't help was that his relationship with his brother wasn't always the best. The man chewed on his lip for a second, knowing he'd just have to wing it for now and hope he didn't upset the boy.

"He's a close friend of yours, isn't he?" Gabriel asked, thinking maybe just a simple conversation would be beneficial.

At the question, Jesse nodded, pursing his lips together. "Yeah... he's my best friend. We're very close."

Gabriel nodded silently, watching Jesse shift uneasily where he sat. That apparently didn't help much with Jesse. However, now he got more of a feel of how close Jesse and Hanzo were. Thinking more, Gabriel pressed further.

"Why don't you leave him a message?" He suggested.

"Message?"

"Leave him messages through the walkie talkie." Gabriel lifted a finger towards the walkie talkie, "If you're worried about him, speak into the walkie talkie to reassure him you're okay and you're out looking for him. Even if he doesn't respond, the mere act of doing will make you feel better. Who knows when he'll walk past the walkie talkie back there."

It was a suggestion made up on the spot that Gabriel hoped would make Jesse feel better. He still didn't know much of the boy nor did he have a knack for consulting children, but he really hoped this would do some help than make things worse. Luckily, Jesse relaxed a bit at the suggestion.

Jesse straightened up where he sat, now holding the walkie talkie firmly in his hand. His fingers brushed over the button on the side and rough speaker as if contemplating what to say. After a minute of simply staring at the object passed, Jesse pressed down on the side button, a quick brush of static emitting from it.

"Hey there, Hanzo." Jesse spoke into the walkie talkie, holding it close to his face, "It's Jesse. I'm sorry I left home. It ain't safe back there... There's really scary stuff. I'm with a man now- his name is Gabriel. He said he's going to stay with me and help me find ya. I hope you're okay, Hanzo. We're goin' to a restaurant place, I think. I dunno the name... It's far away from home." He paused for a moment, curling up a bit where he sat. His voice quietened just a little. "I miss you... I'll find you. Or, you find me. We're always there for each other, remember? You're- You're all I have." The last statement was hushed as if it was some precious secret that couldn't be heard from anyone else.

Gabriel watched Jesse 'talk' to Hanzo, a relieved smile staining his lips. It warmed his heart to hear the one sided conversation between Jesse and his friend. It reminded him of how he was when he was younger with his own pack of childhood friends. Unlike his own, Jesse's relationship with Hanzo appeared more special than his own from the past. It squeezed his heart in an almost painful way. Now, he hoped that along their way they found this Hanzo boy.

That is, if the walkers hadn't already found him.


	3. Cruiser

The concept of a dying world could be percieved in different ways by many people. Someone explaining the end of the world could picture it as a meteor crashing down on the Earth's surface, cracking the entire planet in two. Another person could explain it as being God coming down and saving those who've followed him and leaving those to be damned in hell for all eternity. Another person might believe it to look like constant death wherever you look. Whatever the case was, everyone's ideal perception of the end of the world was gradually merging into one idea. That being the world Gabriel observed as Jack drove his truck down the highway.

It was in the middle of the night now, which didn't calm their high levels of anxiety, and the road was as bare as ever. Not once had Gabriel ever since such a desolated highway. There were no incoming cars to the left nor were there any annoying drivers going incredibly slow in front of them due to being distracted on the phone. At the thought, Gabriel wished to sit in fifty hours of traffic just to get the world back to the way it was. The night sky was deprived of clouds, allowing the countless twinkling stars up above to shine down on the struggling inhabitants of Earth. It was almost as if they were mocking the destruction of the dying civilization of people down below by their perfect, beautiful and unaffected existence.

Jesse slept beside Gabriel, hugging the walkie talkie to his chest. His silly cowboy hat was used as a makeshift pillow upon the truck bed, the brims being bent and squished underneath his weight. Right across from him, Jack's son, Jamison, was sleeping in his mother's lap, curled up. He appeared to sleep more peaceful than Jesse, which pricked at Gabriel's mind. Maybe he hadn't quite seen all the horrors now... or maybe Jesse has seen more.

"It's quite silly how easy it is for these two to be able to sleep in times like this." Angela's soft voice caught Gabriel's attention. "The thought of closing my eyes for a long while in this world frightens me. Who knows what other horrors we might wake to?" She looked over at Gabriel with a slightly amused smile. "It's quite childish, isn't it? There are never stories of a mother being afraid of the monsters underneath the bed while the child is not."

Gabriel let out a soft chuckle, watching the streetlights and road signs pass by in a blur, "It's not as childish as you think. A student once provided me an essay on an old book that depicted a child being her mother's parental figure. It was an odd book, as they wrote, but was a nice twist in social roles."

"Student? Are you a teacher?"

"Used to be. I was a professor at a community college in Macon. I taught English Literature."

Angela's lips curled into a small smile, thinking over the course. "I used to adore that class."

The car jerked as Jack drove over a bump in the road. Jesse awoke, startled at the sudden movement, looking around wide eyed. He quickly calmed when the sight of a small diner came into view. Gabriel gazed at the incoming restaurant, an uneasy feeling sinking in his stomach. There were only two cars parked already in front of the eatery, showing there were few people inside. In bright pink and blue letters illuminated atop of the diner, it read: The Cruiser. Right beside the name was a 50's styled drawing of a girl in a poodle skirt and very high defined hair.

"We're here." Jack shouted from the front of the car. He quickly turned the car into a parking spot right in front of the entrance. The engine slowly spluttered to a silence, leaving them all to listen to the buzzing of the LED diner sign. "Angela, take Jamie inside while Gabriel and I speak to Hana."

Angela nodded, scooping Jamison (who was still well asleep) in her arms. Gabriel hopped out of the truck bed, helped Angela down with Jamison, then helped Jesse. Jesse took Gabriel's hand as he jumped down, eyes wide with awe.

"I've never seen a place like this before. It's so colorful and bright." The boy exclaimed with a curious smile. Gabriel couldn't help but laugh softly at the remark as he, too, looked around.

"It is pretty bright, huh."

As Angela walked inside, there was a gentle ring of a bell overhead. From what he could see from the windows, Gabriel saw the figure of a rather short young lady jogging towards the door. The bell rang again as she stepped outside, approaching the truck. Her brown hair was pulled back in a bun and red bandana, the color mirroring her bright red lipstick. Putting a hand on her hip, she smiled at Jack.

"Hey there, Jack. It's so nice to see you and Ang make it out of the city okay. It's been awfully quiet in here. We're trying to get this old radio working so we can hear what's going on."

Jack ushered Gabriel to come over, which he did semi reluctantly. Jesse followed, staying behind Gabriel. "It's nice to see you too, Hana." Jack said with a sigh. "I hope you don't mind but we brought some others with us." He gave a nod to his side. "This is Gabriel and Jesse. Gabriel practically saved my life when we crossed paths with them. He takes care of the boy, Jesse, here."

Jesse gave a shy wave towards Hana, moving just a little out from behind Gabriel. Hana grinned down a him gently, waving back. "It's nice to meet you Jesse."

Looking back up, Hana locked eyes with Gabriel. She quirked a thin eyebrow at him as the smile upon her lips faltered just in the slightest but remained prominent on her expression. Gabriel, seeing through the forced expression, mirrored it. With a pleasant sigh, Hana quickly outstretched her hand towards the man, the insincerity of her smile becoming less noticeable.

Gabriel took her hand, shaking it firmly. "It's nice to meet you... Hana was it?"

"Yes. Hana Song. It's hard to forget it." She said with an overly joking tone. "Nice to meet you, Gabriel..." She trailed off but quickly cut her drawl short with a friendly question. "So, you take care of Jesse here? Are you his father?"

"No, Gabriel is Jesse's caretaker. They were at that orphanage on the outskirts of town." Jack responded for Gabriel with a bright smile. Gabriel, relieved the man answered for him, smiled softly and looked at Jesse. Jesse smiled back, stepping closer to him.

Hana chuckled, "So you're his, uh, caretaker. Right, right..." She stared at Gabriel intently for a moment, her smile now warping into a little smirk. "Well, I've taken enough of your time chatting away out here. It's not safe being out for too long. Besides, you're all probably very tired. Come bring your stuff inside and set them down in the kitchen or behind the counter. Lu will be here soon, he's just out trying to fix our car out in the back to see if the radio there works better than the portable one inside."

Jack turned to Gabriel, "Lu is her husband, Lucio. They both own this place."

Gabriel nodded, "Ah, yes, as I would expect."

With that, the three of them slowly began to bring in the supplies backed into Jack's car. Jesse helped as well by gathering the smaller and lighter items from the vehicle. There wasn't that much-mainly just bottles of water and nonperishable foods with the occasional spare clothes and blankets. As they made trips into the diner and out, setting everything down, the uneasy feeling bubbling in his stomach never diminished. It continued to eat away at him and grow at every passing second. Nonetheless, he swallowed down the feeling, trying to push what was eventually to come out of his mind.

...

Once all the supplies were emptied out of the car and set in the back, Hana showed them where they could stay and sleep that night. Apparently, there was another family here who was already asleep in the corner booth near the window. Hana enclosed that it was two wives with their pet dog and only them. There was another person who was with them but no one desired to ask for further details on who and what happened.

Gabriel and Jesse set up in a booth near an old jukebox while Jack and his family were in the booth next. Jamison was already fast asleep in the corner, leaning against his mother who was reading an old book. Jack was up and about, jotting down stuff on a map of Georgia and fiddling with the radio that Hana was working on before. It was fairly quiet in the small diner besides the soft music that came from a speaker atop of the counter. It was connected to a portable mp3 and played modern day music-a huge contrast to the theme of the restaurant. However, it lessened the tension that was attempted to be ignored through out the room.

Tired from the day's events, Jesse leaned up against the window, tapping a finger gently on the glass. It fogged around his finger tip as a misty white cloud branched across the glass from his steady breathing. His hat was set on his lap, the cherished walkie talkie placed inside it. It was as if the boy never parted with those two things. Then again, they were the only personal belongings he brought with him from the orphanage.

Gabriel wasn't left to relax for too long after they finished bringing everything in as there were a new set of footsteps coming from the kitchen. He turned just in time to see a short man come waltzing out with a kind smile upon his face. His hair was tied back in a lime green pony tail, allowing his friendly facade to shine upon any who laid eyes on him. Around his waist was a dirty apron with a few random objects in its pockets which Gabriel assumed was for the car he was working on outside. The man let out a deep breath, wiping a trail of sweat off his chocolate forehead.

"Hey, Hana, I fixed the car. The radio isn't working in there as well, but I'm sure it'll be working soon!" He exclaimed with a rather upbeat tone.

Hana, who was behind the counter rearranging some silverware, smiled in response to her husband's words. "That's amazing!" She skipped over to him, her forced smile coming back. "We got some new people here. Jack brought in a friend he met down the road; said he saved his life."

Gabriel chewed on his bottom lip as he felt the man's stare on his being, refusing to turn towards him himself. The man, imitating Hana's first reaction, tilted a brow as he walked over to Gabriel before holding out his hand.

"You ran into Jack on the way over here, huh? Well, the more people the merrier!" He laughed softly. Gabriel finally looked over at him. "My name is Lucio. Mind telling me yours?"

Gabriel frowned, taking Lucio's hand to shake it firmly. "Gabriel."

"Just Gabriel?"

"Just Lucio?"

The two stared at each other for a good while before Lucio broke off the handshake with a returning grin. Jesse turned around from the window, looking over at Gabriel and Lucio. Lucio, catching sight of the boy, softened his demeanor almost instantly.

"Well hey there, little guy! I didn't see you there. What's your name?"

Jesse smiled a little, finding Lucio's jolly attitude contagious. "My name's Jesse." They both shook hands just as how he did with Gabriel, however the atmosphere between them two was more uplifting and joyous.

Lucio beamed at Jesse as they shook hands, finding it genuinely heartwarming to see a child amidst all this chaos. It lifted his spirits significantly. "You know, I think I might have a slice of apple pie in the back for you. I'm pretty sure you both are hungry from coming up here." Jesse's face lightened up at the mention of pie as he nodded his head excitedly. Lucio couldn't help but giggle under his breath at the wordless response, "Gabriel, do you mind coming with me to get the pie?"

What a lame excuse. Gabriel furrowed his brows slightly at the request but made no notion to oppose. Jesse really wanted pie and if he refused that would mean no pie for the boy, dampening his spirits. There was no way he was going to do that and he suspected Lucio knew that as well.

Silently, Gabriel stood up from the booth. His eyes narrowed as he walked past Lucio as he made his way towards the kitchen. The uneasiness within his stomach was stronger than ever, nearly making him nauseous. He could already predict and assume what's to come but he chose to continue to bury it down, the bitterness he felt towards Lucio continuing to fester within him.

Once into the kitchen, the man leaned against one of the countertops used for cutting up food, letting his eyes explore the familiar kitchen. There were a few pots and pans in the sink, dried up food caking the tops and staining the silverware. Some written orders were still scattered about the place, showing from the messiness that this place wasn't officially open for business for a day or two. Lucio followed in soon after, untying the apron around his torso and setting it neatly on the counter.

"What are you doing here, Gabe?" The question pricked at Gabriel's insides, causing a sigh to emit from his lips.

"It's nice to see you too." He said, looking at Lucio for a brief moment before averting his gaze again.

Lucio's face fell into a rare frown at the cheeky response, "I mean it. Last time I checked, you were being sentenced to prison for murder. Why are you here? Who is this kid out there with you and why is he with you?"

Gabriel recoiled at his adoptive brother's concerned words, noticing the lace of judgement that was wrapped around them.

"Listen... I'm not here for trouble, alright? The police car I was in crashed and the officer was killed by a walker-those monsters out there." Gabriel explained, "I got away from those things and found Jesse at an orphanage, alone. I... told him I would take care of him and help him find his friend. You know I couldn't just leave him there. You would've done the same."

Lucio softened his frown back into his usual calm, engaged expression. He listened to Gabriel's explanation intently, unsure of whether or not it was believable or exaggerated on his apparent 'good' deeds.

Gabriel noticed Lucio's contemplative demeanor, "I'm telling the truth, okay? I promise. I know I've made some dick mistakes in the past and all but I'm really telling the truth. Don't hold me against the mistakes I made-I told you I regret everything and I've apologized hundreds of times. What do you want me to do, huh? How many more times do I have to say 'I'm sorry'? How many more times are you going to look at me like that because I'm the disappointment of the family? 'Cause, it's getting really-"

"You don't have to lecture me about this. I'm not dad." Lucio said with a sigh. He turned towards the kitchen door then back to Gabriel, expression soft. "Does anyone know about your records?"

"No. I never said my last name just in case."

"Good. Keep it that way. The world's bad enough now, we shouldn't evoke any quarrels in here. Everyone's on edge as it is... and I don't think they would want to know a sentenced guilty murderer is in the same room as them."

Gabriel narrowed his eyes before Lucio quickly added, "It's just a fact. I'm not saying you're a bad guy right now. It's just what's written down in official government files, that's all."

It was a logical approach. Gabriel didn't know what the others would do out there if they found out. They only just met and so far first impressions have been grand. He didn't want to jeapordize any of it. Besides, this could be a fresh start. Not the ideal way he would go about it but it was the only option that was opened, especially the world was apparently turning to. There was no way he was going to pass this up. Maybe this could be redemption for his wrong doings-the universe was giving him a second chance.

Whatever the case was, Gabriel was determined not to waste this. Not only for his sake, but for everyone else's. No need to throw more stress and worry into a jar that was cracking at the rim.

 **Notes:**

 **I'm going to try writing shorter chapters cause I feel like long ones are annoying lol.**  
 **Also, I feel like ppl are gonna hate me for making Lucio Gabriel's adoptive brother but I wanted him in the story and I couldn't think of another role to put him as :').**

 **Agh. I'm sorry. This is my first OW fic and I'm reaLLY NERVOUS ABOUT IT**


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